The Many Sins Of Sunday Igboho

Until January 15, 2021 Chief Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday
Igboho was arguably an unknown personality outside the
southwest region.
Igboho and his supporters took the battle to end the
herdsmen crisis on their shoulders.
He stormed the Fulani community in Igangan, Ibarapa
Local Council of Oyo State to issue a seven-day quit
notice to herdsmen to vacate the community and all other
Yoruba communities or be forced to do so.
Despite warning by Governor Seyi Makinde against such
action, he invaded Igangan and his visit led to a clash
between some Yoruba youths and Fulani in the
community. Properties were reportedly destroyed.
He also visited Ogun State and vowed to evict herdsmen
in the South-west following the insecurity rocking the
region.
He then became a chief promoter of the Yoruba nation
idea and a defender of Yoruba land from the incursion of
killer herders who kill, maim and abduct farmers.
After holding a series of rallies in some southwest states,
he met stiff resistance against any rally in Lagos.
The DSS raided the home of Igboho few hours to the rally,
destroying vehicles, including his G-wagon, Prado Jeep,
and some valuables, including furniture and windows.
Here are few factors which could have contributed
‘negatively’ to Igboho’s travails:
Feud with Seyi Makinde: Sunday Igboho had a frosty
relationship with Seyi Makinde during the build up to Oyo
2019 gubernatorial elections.
Makinde rode on the influence of Igboho during his 2019
campaign tour to Oke-Ogun zone and subsequent
endorsement.
Igboho, who is often hailed as ‘owo baba dami’, has no
doubt always enjoyed overwhelming popularity from
different administrations in Oyo state – from the time of
former Governor Rashidi Ladoja.
Igboho was involved in the combative politics between the
late political leader, Lamidi Adedibu and Ladoja. He
supported Ladoja, acting as his bodyguard throughout the
tussle.
During the Kogi guber elections, Makinde, who was
chairman of the Peoples Democratic(PDP) Governorship
campaign also took Igboho as part of his entourage during
the build up to the elections.
But, glaringly, things appear not to be smooth as the
Governor and Igboho have been on a collision war after
the latter reportedly dumped Makinde who he supported in
the 2019 elections.
The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the face-
off between the duo over the ‘quit notice’ issued to
Fulanis in Igangan, Ibarapa East local government over
alleged kidnapping and banditry by Igboho.
Igboho’s visit was in defiance to Governor Seyi Makinde’s
directive to security agencies to arrest and treat him as a
criminal should he carry out his threat to forcefully eject
herdsmen and his kinsmen from the land.
In a viral undated video, Igboho blasted Makinde in Yoruba
language. Though he didn’t mention the Governor’s name,
he said enough for viewers to know he was referring to
Makinde.
He accused the Governor of backing herdsmen, recalling
how Makinde relied on him to win votes in 2019.
According to him: “You can bring all Fulanis to Yorubaland,
if you like, you unfortunate ones. It will not be well with
you.
“You are threatening me in my fatherland with Fulanis. You
will not prosper.
“Is it the Fulani’s that make the laws of the land? Have
you forgotten when you were ‘bankrolling’ me you wanted
to become Governor and all I did for you all during the
elections, and now you dare threaten me?”
Utterance against South West monarchs, political leaders
– Igboho’s style of speaking created a very bad
impression in the minds of many .
Some described him as audacious but his persistent
attacks on various personalities across the South West
didn’t go down well with prominent leaders. Traditional
rulers, political leaders opposed to the agitation were
labelled and abused.
For instance, Igboho, while speaking at a meeting with the
Yoruba in Diaspora, last February described some
prominent Yoruba leaders, including the Ooni of Ife, Enitan
Ogunwusi, Makinde; and Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrasheed
Akanbi, as “Fulani slaves.”
He later sought the forgiveness of Ogunwusi, who said he
had forgiven him.
Igboho’s uncouth words and inciting statements —
Everywhere Igboho went, he naturally won the confidence
of the common man but one striking problem was his
uncouth words and inciting statements which could stoke
ethnic tension especially amidst the rising insecurity.
His inciting statements was a source of concerns to many
especially security operatives who feared there might be a
repeat of the #EndSARS protests.
Igboho in series of videos had always lambasted and
placed curses on those against the Yourba Nation struggle.
From campaign against killer herders to Yoruba Nation
agitation – To many, how Sunday Igboho changed so
swiftly from being an activist fighting against killer
herdsmen to being a freedom fighter remains a mystery.
From the man who was fighting to end the terror of killer
herdsmen in Yorubaland, to agitating for separation of
Yoruba Nation from Nigeria, showed he mixed up the
whole struggle without clear clarity.
Undermining the government – Sunday Igboho had
announced that Yoruba Nation was no longer part of
Nigeria and they were ready to walk away without what
government can do.
He also threatened there would not be any election in the
Southwest in 2023, saying the people of Yoruba Nation
were weary of Nigeria.
Igboho added Yoruba people could no longer tolerate the
feudal and political dominance in the federation, which he
said, had been a source of concern nationwide.